Subjects

English Literature

Short fiction ii

Explain the function of contrasting characters

Blood Brothers: Key Themes, Quotes, and Characters

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Alfie Smith

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Blood Brothers: Key Themes, Quotes, and Characters

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• Blood Brothers is a play set in Liverpool during the 1960s and 1970s, exploring themes of social class, poverty, and fate.

• Key themes include social class divisions, bias, social responsibility, social mobility, hierarchy, prosperity, and deterioration.

• The play examines the lives of twin brothers separated at birth - one raised in a wealthy family, the other in poverty.

• Important context includes Liverpool's economic decline, high unemployment, and widening gap between rich and poor during this period.

• The character of Mrs. Johnstone represents the struggles of working-class women, shown through her appearance and lack of opportunities.

• The play's structure and use of Liverpool dialect help convey themes of class and social divides.

10/11/2022

553

Blood Brothers: Key Themes and Context

Themes and Concepts

The play Blood Brothers explores several important themes related to social class and inequality in 1960s-70s Liverpool. Some of the key concepts include:

Social class: The play examines how society is divided into hierarchical groups based on social status and wealth. This is a central theme throughout the story of the separated twins.

Bias: Characters display unfair opinions and favoritism based on class prejudices.

Social responsibility: The idea that everyone in society has a role to play in supporting others is questioned.

Social mobility: The possibility (or lack thereof) of moving between social classes is a key issue.

Hierarchy: The play depicts an order of importance and relevance in society based on class.

Prosperity: Having success, wealth and financial stability is contrasted with poverty.

Deterioration: The loss of status, relevance or success is shown through characters' experiences.

Vocabulary

Hierarchy: A system in which people or things are arranged according to their importance
Prosperity: The state of being successful or thriving, especially financially
Deterioration: The process of becoming progressively worse

Key Character: Mrs. Johnstone

Mrs. Johnstone is a central character who represents the struggles of working-class women. Some key points about her characterization:

Quote: "By the time I was twenty-five, I looked like forty-two"

This hyperbolic statement reveals:

The difficult life Mrs. Johnstone leads as a working-class woman
How her circumstances are visibly affecting her appearance and aging her prematurely

Mrs. Johnstone is portrayed as:

Naïve
Superstitious (e.g. "never put shoes on a table")
Lacking education and opportunities

Her superstitions and lack of education allow her employer Mrs. Lyons to take advantage of her. Mrs. Johnstone's poor judgment is also shown through her buying things on credit that she cannot afford.

Highlight: Mrs. Johnstone's character illustrates how lack of education and opportunity can make working-class individuals vulnerable to exploitation.

Historical and Social Context

Understanding the historical setting is crucial for analyzing Blood Brothers. Key contextual points include:

Set in Liverpool in the 1960s and 1970s
Liverpool's economic decline after its prosperous period as a major seaport
Rising unemployment (reaching around 20% by mid-1980s) due to closure of factories and decline of the port
Widening gap between rich and poor
Impact on people's mental health and self-esteem
Educational divide between grammar schools and secondary modern schools
Prevalence of council housing for working-class families
Catholic immigration to Liverpool in the 20th century

Example: The blocking of the River Mersey with silt led to a decline in trade, triggering a chain of economic problems including factory closures and rising unemployment.

This context helps explain the stark contrast between the twins' lives and the lack of opportunities faced by working-class characters in the play.

BLOOD BROTHERS
REVISION FOR ASSESSMENT
KEY THEMES
Social Class- a hierarchial system by which sociaty is divided into groups depending on so

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Essay Structure and Analysis Techniques

Essay Structure

When writing an essay on Blood Brothers, it's important to follow a clear structure:

Introduction:
- Address the question directly
- Keep it concise
- Introduce three main points you will discuss
Main Body Paragraphs:
- Follow the "What? How? Why?" structure
- Include relevant quotes and analysis
Conclusion:
- Summarize your main ideas
- Refer back to the question

Example Essay Structure:

Introduction: Reference the question and outline key points (e.g. working class lack of opportunities, social bias, class stereotypes)
Paragraph 1: Analyze lack of opportunities for working-class characters, focusing on Mrs. Johnstone
Paragraph 2: Examine social bias and its effects on characters
Paragraph 3: Discuss how Russell uses language and dialect to portray class differences
Conclusion: Sum up how Russell presents social class issues in the play

Analysis Techniques

When analyzing Blood Brothers, consider these key areas:

AO1: Identify & Interpret Evidence
- Use relevant quotes from the text
- Explain what they reveal about characters or themes
AO2: Subject Terminology & Writer's Ideas
- Discuss Russell's use of literary techniques
- Analyze how he conveys his ideas about social class
AO3: Context
- Link the play to its historical and social context
- Discuss how this influences characters and events
AO4: Register and Ambitious Vocabulary
- Use formal academic language
- Incorporate subject-specific terminology

Highlight: Pay particular attention to Russell's use of Liverpool dialect, including clipped words and colloquialisms, to portray class differences.

Language Analysis

Russell's use of language is crucial in portraying social class differences:

Liverpool Dialect: Characters' speech patterns reflect their social background
Clipping of words: Working-class characters often use shortened forms
Colloquialisms: Informal language helps characterize working-class figures

Example: Analyze how Mrs. Johnstone's dialogue differs from Mrs. Lyons', reflecting their different social classes and education levels.

By focusing on these elements in your essay, you can provide a comprehensive analysis of how Russell presents social class issues in Blood Brothers.

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Character Analysis: Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnstone

Mrs. Lyons: The Wealthy Employer

Mrs Lyons is a key character in Blood Brothers, representing the upper class in contrast to Mrs. Johnstone's working-class background. Some important points about Mrs. Lyons include:

She is Mrs. Johnstone's employer, highlighting the class divide
Her desperation for a child leads her to manipulate Mrs. Johnstone
She represents the privileges and opportunities afforded to the wealthy

Quote: "You're a mother of seven, soon to be eight. You can't cope."

This quote shows how Mrs. Lyons uses Mrs. Johnstone's difficult circumstances to justify taking one of her babies.

Character Analysis: Mrs. Lyons is portrayed as manipulative and willing to exploit others for her own gain. Her actions drive the central conflict of the play and illustrate the power imbalance between social classes.

Mrs. Johnstone: The Working-Class Mother

Mrs. Johnstone is central to the play's exploration of social class issues. Key aspects of her character include:

She is a working-class mother struggling to support her large family
Her lack of education and opportunities make her vulnerable to exploitation
She represents the challenges faced by working-class women in 1960s Liverpool

Quote: "By the time I was twenty-five, I looked like forty-two"

This hyperbolic statement emphasizes the toll that poverty and hardship have taken on Mrs. Johnstone.

Character Analysis: Mrs. Johnstone is portrayed sympathetically as a hardworking woman trapped by circumstances. Her decision to give up one of her twins drives the plot and illustrates the desperate choices faced by those in poverty.

Comparison of Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnstone

The contrast between these two characters is crucial to the play's exploration of social class:

Education: Mrs. Lyons is well-educated, while Mrs. Johnstone lacks formal education
Opportunities: Mrs. Lyons has many choices in life, while Mrs. Johnstone's options are limited
Power: Mrs. Lyons can manipulate situations to her advantage, while Mrs. Johnstone is often powerless

Highlight: The relationship between Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnstone embodies the play's central themes of social inequality and class division.

Key Events Linking to Mrs. Johnstone

Several important plot points revolve around Mrs. Johnstone:

Her agreement to give one of her twins to Mrs. Lyons
Her attempts to maintain contact with Edward after he's adopted
Her eventual revelation of the truth to Mickey and Edward

These events drive the plot and illustrate the long-term consequences of the initial decision to separate the twins.

Example: Analyze how Mrs. Johnstone's poverty and lack of options lead her to agree to Mrs. Lyons' proposal, setting the entire tragic story in motion.

By examining the characters of Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnstone, we can see how Russell uses them to explore broader themes of social class, opportunity, and the impact of poverty in Blood Brothers.